To The West Part 43

And all the time the Indians dragged hard at the canoe, and with so much success that they proceeded over some three hundred yards of rapid, and then stopped where the water looked deep and gla.s.sy, and where it was evident that they could wade no further.

Here, as they held the canoe fast to keep it from being swept back down the rapids, one of the foremost swung himself in, took his paddle, and began to use it with all his might. Then another sprang in on the other side, and paddled hard to keep the canoe stationary, two still holding tightly. Then the third leaped in, and the one still holding uttered a hoa.r.s.e cry, which made the others ply their paddles with all their might, for it seemed as if the stream would be too strong for them.

Finally the fourth gave another cry, and his muscles stood out in the sunshine on his forehead and neck, as he gave the boat a tremendous thrust, swung himself in, and began to paddle rapidly.

The thrust he gave the boat sent it on a couple of yards, and then it became stationary, with the water, which looked white and gla.s.sy, now rushing by us, and threatening to drive the canoe on to the rocks just behind, or else to capsize us, and sweep the party headlong down the long water slope up which we had been so toilsomely drawn. And I believe we should have been mastered, for what with three pa.s.sengers and the chests, the canoe was heavily laden; but Gunson suddenly pressed himself close to the last Indian, reached out one strong arm, and grasped his paddle, swaying with him, and bringing the full force of his powerful muscles to bear.

The hint was sufficient. I gave Esau a look, and crawled right forward to the first paddler, and did precisely the same, and Esau acted likewise, so that there was the addition of our arms on the port side of the boat to balance Gunson's on the starboard.

For the moment my Indian, the first, seemed ready to start up, leap overboard, and swim for his life, evidently thinking I was attacking him; but he saw what it meant directly, and as soon as we boys were in regular swing with them, the chief man gave a shout, and the paddles were plied with such effect that the canoe began to move from where it had been stationary, as if one end were fixed on a rock, which allowed the hows to sway a little. Then we gained a foot or two, the feet became yards, and the Indians set up a triumphant chorus, as we glided on and on, more into smoother water, and at last right in, under the lowering precipice on our left, where we got along more rapidly, till the vessel was steered in behind a huge projecting ma.s.s of rock, where one paddle was sufficient to hold her in the eddy that was caused by the stone, and here all paused to rest.

"Well done, Bri'ish muscles!" said Esau, looking round, and smiling as he wiped the perspiration from his forehead. "I say, I thought it was all over once."

"Yes," said Gunson, "they had all they could do to hold their own, and of course they would soon have given way."

"Is there much more like this?" I asked.

"You know the river as well as I do, my lad," said Gunson. "As far as I can make out, it is nearly all like this, and runs through canons and wild places, where at times the sides are so high that it is quite gloomy below."

"Well, I like it," said Esau. "There's something in it. I've been on the river at home in the steamers, but there's nothing to see."

"You'll see enough here," said Gunson, dryly. "What do you think of your journey up the river now? Didn't I hear one of you speak about walking on the bank?"

I looked to right and left, and felt my forehead pucker up as I saw the difficulties we should have to contend with.

"But will the banks be always like this?" I said.

"Of course not. I should say that we shall find everything, from piled-up ma.s.ses of rock to pleasant patches of meadow, and no two miles alike."

"But no steamers could ever come up here," said Esau.

"Oh yes, out there in the broad channel in the middle, but they will need very powerful engines and careful pilots. Ah, they are getting ready for a fresh start."

"But it will take us a long time to get up to where we are to stop for to-night," I said.

"Twelve miles at the outside," replied Gunson. "Yes, I am beginning to be in doubt as to whether we shall get there to-night."

The leader of the Indians shouted, they plunged in their paddles, and the next minute we were again struggling with a rapid bit of the river between two rocks; but they soon got into smooth water again, and, evidently quite at home in the intricacies of the navigation, they took advantage of every sheltering clump of rocks, and cut across swift rapids to get into eddies here, there, and everywhere. Now we were right in the middle of the stream, now crossing under the left bank, now making for the right, but always advancing slowly, with the sides of the river growing grander every hour, and Gunson smiling at our ecstasies, as we kept getting glimpses of ravines down which tumbled silvery streams, whose spray moistened the gigantic pines which shot up like spires.

"Wouldn't have ketched me sitting on the stool in old Dempster's office all that mizzable time," cried Esau, "if I'd known there were places like this to come and live at."

"It is a grand valley," said Gunson thoughtfully, and looking at me as he spoke; "but as it is, what is it? Only something beautiful to be admired. You couldn't live on waterfalls and pine-trees here. Suppose I landed you two lads in that lovely gorge, where the water comes down like a veil of silver, and--yes, look, there's a rainbow floating in that mist just above the big fall. Look at the ferns, and perfect shape of that great fir-tree, with its branches drooping right to the ground.

You could sleep under its spreading boughs, and find a soft bed of pine-needles; but I don't think it would be possible to climb up the sides of the gorge, and in a short time you would starve."

"Oh would we?" cried Esau. "We'd soon build a hut, and we could catch the salmon."

"Yes, you might catch some salmon in the season; but there is nothing else you could eat. It is very beautiful too, and those pine-trees that stand there are as they stand worth nothing, but if you had them cut into square timbers, and lying in one of the London docks, they would be worth from ten to forty pounds each."

"But it is glorious to see all this," I said eagerly.

"Yes; glorious. In all my travels I have seen nothing more beautiful,"

said Gunson; and he added laughing, "I never went up a river that was so rugged and so swift."

It was just in such a nook as that which we had admired so much that the Indians ran the boat ash.o.r.e about midday, and after making her fast in a gla.s.sy little pool, they signed to us to get out, after which they all sat down among the ferns, and under the shelter of the spreading boughs of a pine, and brought out some food. We imitated their example, and made a hearty meal, washing it down with a tin of water from a little fountain which gushed from a moss-covered rock.

By this time the Indians were lying down apparently asleep, and it set me thinking about what our position would be if we followed their example and they decamped with our boxes and stores. Suppose there was no way out of this neck, for the sides looked as if it would be impossible to climb them, and it was evidently a rare thing for any boat to go up or down.

However, these were only fancies, for after about an hour's rest the Indians suddenly jumped up and pointed to the boat. We got in, and the struggle with the river began again, to be kept up till the sun had descended behind the mountains, and it was beginning to look gloomy where the river ran. Places that would have been glorious to the eye in the bright sunshine now seemed weird and terrible, impressing even our hard, stern friend, so that he suddenly said--

"We had better land at the first suitable place, and make camp for the night. We can easily get a good fire."

I was glad to hear him say this, for with the advancing evening the waters looked cold, and the echoing roar of torrent and fall had an awful sound that began to affect my spirits, and Esau's as well, for he suddenly said to me--

"I say, this part ain't half so beautiful as some of the others."

Gunson set himself the task of explaining to the Indians that we wanted to land, a want that they grasped directly; the leader nodding and pointing forward beyond a sudden bend of the river, where it made a sweep to our right round a towering b.u.t.tress of rock, which projected so far that it seemed to block up the channel, and turn the place into a lake. Then bending once more to their paddles, they set up their monotonous chant, and in about an hour we were round the great rocky b.u.t.tress, and making for a meadow-like patch surrounded by magnificent trees, and upon which dotted here and there were rough shanties.

"Why this is the settlement!" cried Gunson. "They have done as they promised after all. Now, my lads," he said, "what do you say?--shall we try and get shelter at one of those places, or camp out for the first time, and you can try what it's like?"

"Camp out," I said eagerly, for there was an attraction about the idea.

"What do you say, Esau?"

"Same as you do, sir, same as you."

"Then we will camp out," said Gunson; and directing the Indians to a nook away from the tents, they landed us there by a spring of cold water, and then began to take out the chests.

"No, no. To-morrow," said Gunson. "Now then; first thing is a fire when we have chosen our tent."

Just then Esau cried sharply--"I say, lookye there!" and burst into a fit of laughter.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

ESAU HAS A DREAM.

I laughed too as I saw the little yellow-faced figure of our Chinese companion of the boat, as he came up with his small bundle swinging from one finger.

"Why how did you get up here?" I said.

"Indian--chinook come along, walkee, walkee," he said; and he pointed toward the west. "Wantee fire--make blead?" he said laconically; and then without losing a moment, he selected a sheltered spot, collected a quant.i.ty of pine-needles and fir-cones, produced a box of matches from somewhere,--I think it was from up his sleeve,--started the fire, nursed it carefully, and as soon as it began to burn freely, ran here and there to collect dry wood, and after building this up round, dragged up bigger pieces, and then added these, making a famous fire in a very short time.

Gunson laughed at the Chinaman's busy, officious way, and with us to help him, brought our stores ash.o.r.e, while the Indians prepared their own camping-place some little distance off.

"We may as well make ourselves comfortable for the night," he said. "We shall work all the better to-morrow."

"Where floul--make blead?" said the Chinaman, looking up suddenly.

"Don't want any. Got plenty of bread."